Harness-pad



(No Model.)

E. L. MGCLAIN. HARNESS PAD.

No. 486,679. Patented Nov. 22, 189.1

UNITED STATES- PATENT OFEICE.

EDI/VARD L. MOOLAIN, OF GREENFIELD, OHIO.

HARNESS-PAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 486,679, dated November 22, 1892.

Application filed March 7, 1892. Serial No. 424,022. (No model.)

`T0 all whom, t m/ay concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD L. MCOLAIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenfield, in the county of Highland and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harness-Pads; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had to the annexed drawings, which forms part of this specification.

This invention relates to those 'harness attachments commonly known as horse-collar pads, and my present improvement consists in swiveling a small supplementary pad to the under side ot' any approved form of capplate. By this arrangement the supplementary pad can be disposed either erosswise or lengthwise of the cap-plate, as occasion requires. Fnrthermore,this supplementarypad is preferably used with a sweat-collar having a central recess at top, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the annexed drawings, Figure l is a plan of the upper side of a well-known form of capplate with my supplementary pad pivoted thereto and disposed transversely of it. Fig. 2 is a plan of the under side of said cap with the pad arranged lengthwise thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of said cap and pad, taken at the line z z of the preceding illustration. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the upper portion of a sweat-collar especially adapted to be used in connection with this supplementary pad. Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing the pad applied crosswise of said collar. Fig. 6 is a vertical section showingthe pad arranged lengthwise of the collar. Fig. 7 is an enlarged axial section of the pivot attachments wherewith the supplementary pad is swiveled to the cap. Figs. 8 and 9 show modifications of my invention.

A represents a small stuffed pad, which is gathered n p in the center by passing through it two rivets a a', said rivets serving to secure a strap or other iieXible strip B to the upper side of said pad, as more clearly seen in Fig. 7. This yielding member B is pierced at its center to admit a rivet C, the head of which c is confined between said strap and pad, while the shank of said rivet is passed through the short tube or veyelet D, and then upset over the top ofthe same, as shown at c. Eyelet D is secured to any approved form of plate E, although the latter preferably takes the shape of the cap seen in Letters Patent No. 466,796, granted to me January l2, 1892, F being a turn-bar on top of said cap, G G a pair of flexible tongues secured to the same, and e e a series of slots near the opposite ends of said cap.

H represents a padded sweat-collar having at top a central recess or cavity I, formed by omitting the padding material and stitching together the upper and lower coverings of said collar, as seen at t' in Fig. G. The depth of this recess is equal to the thickness of the collar and extends down on each side of the same as far as may be necessary to admit the supplementary pad A, when the latter is swung around to the position seen in Figs. l and 5. h 72, are short staples or loops projecting upwardly from the ridge of the collar and in line with the center thereof. The manner of using my supplementary pad is as follows: Ordinarily it is turned around crosswise of the cap, as seen in Fig. l, and then its two ends are bent down so as to fit snugly within the recess or socket I of the sweat-collar, as seen in Fig. 5, the staples h h being now passed through the appropriate slots e e and the tongues G G being engaged with said staples. The bar D is then swung around lengthwise of said cap to hold said tongues in place and prevent their accidental disengagement from the staples. It will thus be seen that the seating of the small pad within the socket of the collar assists very materially in holding the cap in place, while at the same time these three separate members A E H have a free independent motion that causes the regular horse-collar to bear upon the animals neck with com paratively-little friction. Consequently there is no danger of the neck being galled or chafed by the constant slipping back and forth of a stiff or unyielding sweatcollar; but if the animal should be galled previous to the application of my collar a slight change of position must be made with the supplementary pad. On such an emergency the pad is swung around lengthwise of the cap and then applied to the sweatcollar, as seen in Fig. 6, said cap being retained IOC in place by means of the staples, tongues, and turn bar, as previously described. It 1s apparentthat the supplementary pad new serves as a yielding bridge spanning the recess I, and thereby relieving the galled spot or sore from any irritating pressure. It is also apparent that an opening is now left under this bridge to allow a free passage of air; but said opening will not permit flies and other insects to get at the sore place and annoy the horse, because the bottom of the recess I is closed by the two thicknesses of covering material, as above set forth. Therefore this thin pliable bottom acts as a covering that protects the sore without heating it, and by applying a suitable cataplasm to the under part of said bottom the galled place will be speedilyhealed. In the modification of my invention (seen 1u Fig. 8) the strip B is made of metal and is slotted longitudinally at IJ, one end of said slot terminating with au eye b to admit the head c of rivet C, which arrangement enables the pad to be readily detached from the cap when either of them is so shifted as to bring the rivet-head to a place where it can be withdrawn through said eye; but whatever form of device may be adopted for pivoting the pad to the cap it must be so arranged as to permit independent swinging ot the pad and turn-bar. Finally', the invention is not limited to the tongues, slots, and staples as the only means for attaching the cap to the sweat-collar, and thereby confining the supplementary pad within the recess, as the same result can be accomplished by straps and buckles or other well-known fasteners, and 1n some cases it may be found desirable to pierce the recess bottom with small holes, as seen at t" in Fig. 9.

I claim as my invention- 1. The harness-pad consisting of two parts only, to wit: a cap and a small supplementary pad pivoted to its under side, which pad is capable of being arranged either transversely or longitudinally of said cap, as and for the small supplementary pad pivoted to the under side of the latter, as and for the purpose described.

4. The harness-pad cap having a small supplementary pad pivoted to its under side and a turn-bar pivoted toits upper side, said pad being secured by a rivet traversing an eyelet wherewith said bar is swiveled to said cap, substantially as and for the purpose described.

' 5. A sweat-collar having at top a recess or socket provided with a bottom, in combination with a removable cap, to Whose under side is pivoted a small supplementary pad adapted to [it within said recess and to be retained by suitable fasteners, substantially as herein described.

G. The combination of the small supplementary pad A, having a Iiexible strip B secured to its upper side, a rivet C, having `its head c under said strip, and the eyelet D, uniting the cap E and turn-bar F, said rivet being passed through said eyelet and upset on the same, as at c', all as herein described.

In testimony whereof I atrix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD L. MCCLAIN.

Witnesses:

J AMES H. LAYMAN, JOHN M. SMEDEs. 

